Massive courting elephant seals in search of mates force California beach to shut down

There are so many massive seals at a California seashore that officials had to shut down the beach.

Officials at Point Reyes National Seashore had to close access at Drakes Beach because elephant seals stormed the beach looking for a mate.

“This is the time of the year when they are in the business of courtship and mating and their behavior is, at best, unpredictable,” Point Reyes officials said Thursday on Facebook.

The seals are massive. They can weigh up to 5,000 pounds, which is the same size as a small SUV, officials said.

Officials didn’t say how many elephant seals were on the beach, but there were enough to raise safety concerns.

“They could easily harm humans,” seashore officials said. “We will reopen beach access just as soon as the males move elsewhere.”

It’s not the first time the giant seals have taken over the beach. In 2019, officials had to close the area when elephant seals started having pups on the beach, parking lot and visitor center ramps, according to McClatchy News.

The elephant seals’ presence, however, is welcome at Point Reyes. The animal was absent from the seashore for more than 150 years, according to the National Park Service. They returned to the south side of the shore in the 1970s.

“In 1981, the first breeding pair was discovered near Chimney Rock. Between 1988 and 1993, the population grew at a dramatic annual average rate of 32%,” the National Park Service said. “Since 1993, the average growth rate has slowed to 8–9% per year.”

At Drakes Beach, elephant seals didn’t return until early December 2020, the National Park Service reported.

Elephant seals are the most present from December to March when it is birthing and mating season, according to the park service.

“The males are the first to arrive here, in December, in an effort to stake out a claim on the beach they hope to dominate,” National Park Service officials said. “Then pregnant females begin to arrive and, soon thereafter, give birth to a single pup (or, in an extremely rare case, twins).”

This story was originally published January 14, 2021 at 3:07 PM with the headline "Massive courting elephant seals in search of mates force California beach to shut down."